Token-destroying vending system

ABSTRACT

A VENDING MACHINE OPERABLE IN RESPONSE TO THE INSERTION OF PREDETERMINED CORRECT COINS. THE COINS INSERTED IN THE MACHINE ARE MELTED OR BURNT AWAY AFTER BEING EVALUATED. THE MACHINE MAY DESPENSE ARTICLES, OR CONTROL ELECTRICITY, GAS OR WATER, IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE VALUE OF THE COIN.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Knse A l {56] References Cited 23-10Minamimagome, Z-Chome, Otaku UNITED STATES PATENTS 2 106 582 l/l938 w n194/3x 121 Appl. No. 784,854 a 2,591,029 4/1952 Vander Plas 222/2 [22]Filed Dec. 18. 1968 3,136,402 6/1964 Smith l94/4(E) [45] Patented June28,1971 n2] Priority Dec 25 1967 3,153,469 10/1964 McPherson l94/4(1-l)Japan $204,741 9/1965 Maxwell et al l94/4(B) {31 42/82726 PrimaryExaminerStanley H. Tollberg Atromeys Robert E. Burns and Emmanuel J.Lobato [54] TOKEN-DESTROYING VENDING SYSTEM 9 clalmsslnrawmg ABSTRACT: Avending machine operable in response to the [52] US. Cl 194/4 insertionof predetermined correct coins. The coins inserted in [51 1 Int. Cl G07f1/06 the machine are melted or burnt away after being evaluated. Field0f Search The machine may dispense articles, or control electricity, gas

222/2 or water, in accordance with the value of the coin.

I P J udging T T I 0 Means watt ------an 4 l meter 1 I Destruction Me 0n s lood PATENTEU M28 1% 3; 587 806 source "P Judging IO Means LL watt 4l meter 1 I Destruction 6 7 3 Means 9 5 ry' a switch loadTOKEN-DESTROYING VENDING SYSTEM BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field ofthe Invention This invention relates to a vending or dispensing machineand, more particularly, to a vending machine which is used with andoperable in response to an insertion of a predetermined token or coinother than coins in circulation and in which the coin inserted is meltedor burnt away.

2. Description ofthe Prior Art Generally, a vending machine for goods islocated on a street or in front of a store. When one wishes to buy anarticle, he inserts coins corresponding in value to the article todispense it. The coins deposited into the machine are accumulated in acoin receiving container disposed therein. Thus, there is the risk thatthe accumulated coins will be stolen. In addition, the prior art vendingmachines require that the accumulated coins be collected. A usefulnumber of machines of this kind will result in an increase in personnelexpenses for coin collection.

It is also known that hospitals and rooms of hotels are sometimesprovided with automatic gas or electricity-supplying devices operable inresponse to an insertion of coins to automatically supply acorresponding amount of gas or electricity. These devices also have thefeature that the inserted coins are accumulated therein. Thus, therequirements involved in the collection of the accumulated coins causean increase in personnel expenses in service businesses of this kind.

Further, it is conventional that the quantity of electricity, gas orwater domestically used within a period be recorded relying on theinspection of. an indicating meter located in each home and that therecord is utilized as a basis for calculating the charge. This systemrequires a visit to respective homes so as to inspect the meter andcollect money and, therefore, an increase in number of homes servicedresults in an increase in the work involved in meter inspection andmoney collection and, hence, in the personnel expenditure.

It is therefore, an object of the present invention to prevent the coinsaccumulated within a service-affording vending machine from being robbedas well as to eliminate troubles conventionally involved in thecollection of accumulated coins, by melting or burning away the insertedcoins or tokens after they have been evaluated.

Another object of the invention is to provide an automatic supplyingapparatus in which the switch or the valve for feeding or supplyingelectricity, gas or water operates to supply same in response to thecoins inserted and when the quantity of the material for the value ofthe coins inserted has been dispensed, the switch or the valve operatesto stop the supply while the coins inserted are melted or burnt away soas to save the trouble involved in the inspection of meters and in thecollection of money.

In brief, these and other objects are achieved by using special coinsand having a coin-judgment means and an articledispensing means or adevice for controlling gas or electricity and adding a coin-destructionmeans such as an electric heater or a container of acid or othersolvent.

These and other objects will be more fully understood from the followingdescription taken in conjunction with the following drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating thestructural relationship of the vending machine according to the presentinvention,

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an embodiment ofa cointreating meansutilized in the vending machine, and

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the general arrangement of theapparatus for automatically supplying gas, electricity or water,according to the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT FIG. 1 diagrammaticallyillustrates the structural relationship in the vending machine of thepresent invention which comprises a coin-judgment or sensing means 1, adelivery means 2 for responding to the signals received from thecoinjudgment means 1 to deliver articles one after one, and adestruction means 3. The coin judgment means 1 is conventional and a socalled coin selector mechanism" which functions to judge the coinsinserted as to whether they are the predetermined ones and to feed asignal to the article-delivery means 2 when the inserted coins areproper ones and which rejects the coins and returns them from thevending machine when they are not the proper ones.

Similarly, the article-delivery means 2 is conventional, responding tothe signal from the coin-judgment means 1, to deliver articlesequivalent in value to the inserted coins from the delivery or outletopening of the vending machine, using for example, a clutch mechanism.

The relationship of the coin-treatment means 3 which forms a major partof the invention, relative to the coin-judgment and goods-delivery means1 and 2 corresponds to the relationship of the coin container relativeto the corresponding means in the conventional vending machine. In otherwords, the inserted coins are allowed to fall down into thecoin-treatment means 3 in the case where the coins are the correct ones.The coins used with the machine of the present invention are made from ameltable, soluble or combustible material and the pieces which havefallen into the coin-treatment means 3 are melted, dissolved or burntaway.

An embodiment of the coin treatment means 3 is shown in vertical sectionin FIG. 2, which shows a housing 31 within which is disposed an inclinedheating plate 32. A heating means, for example, a coil of nichrome wire33, is provided beneath the heating plate 32 to heat the latter. Thecoil of nichrome wire 33 may be continuously fed with electrical power,or alternatively, the electrical power to the coil 33 may be controlled,for example, by a switch mechanism each time a coin falls. Further, thecoil of nichrome wire 33 may be supplied with electrical power atpredetermined intervals irrespective of the presence or absence ofcoins.

The coins that fall from the coin-judgment means 1 enter the housing 31through an inlet 34 shown in FIG. 2 dropping onto the heating plate 32.The latter is heated by the coil of nichrome wire 33 and melts or burnsaway the coins falling thereon. The molten material or gases produced atthis time are respectively delivered or exhausted out from the housing31 through the apertures 35 and 36 provided therein. In FIG. 2, in orderto destroy the fallen coins, coins other than the usual coins incirculation are used to operate the various kinds of vending machines.Thus, the coins used with the machines of the present invention areformed from meltable or combustible resinous material or metallicmaterial and the user of the machine is required to buy such coinsbeforehand for a fixed price.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 2 is designed for melting or burning thepieces by application of heat. This embodiment may be so modified thatsulfuric acid, nitric acid or aqua regia formed from them is containedwithin the housing 31 to chemically treat the pieces falling thereinto.

FIG. 3 diagrammatically illustrates an embodiment of the system forautomatic electricity-supplying apparatus according to the presentinvention. The apparatus comprises coinjudging means 1, coin-destructionmeans 3, a wattmeter 4 and switch means 5. The coin-judging means andcoin-destruction means are the same as previously described withreference to FIGS. 1 and 2. The power input lines are connected to aload 8 through the wattmeter 4 and the switch means 5. The wattmeter 4functions to supply a signal through a line 6 to open the switch 5 whena quantity of electricity corresponding in value to the inserted coinshas been supplied to the load 8. In other words, the wattmeter 4 is akind of preset counter. The coinjudgment means 1 functions to feed asignal through a line 7 to the switch means 5 to close the switch whenproper coins have been inserted thereby actuating the switch means.Also, the coins inserted, if they are proper ones, are delivered intothe coin-treatment means 3 in a manner similar to that described inconjunction with FIG. I.

Now, a description is made hereunder with respect to the operation ofthe, apparatus shown in FIG. 3. When proper coins are inserted into thecoin-judgment means 1, the signal fed through the line 7 actuates theswitch means 5 to close the switch conduct. A user of the apparatus thencloses a switch 9 so as to provide the load 8 with electrical power withthe result that the wattmeter of the preset counter 4 operates. When thewattmeter integrates the supply of electrical power corresponding to thevalue ofthe inserted coins, the meter sup plies a signal through theline 6 to the switch means 5 to open the switch and thereby stop theelectrical supply to the load 8.

In FIG. 3, when the load 8 does not require the entire quantity of theelectricity which corresponds to the value of the inserted coins, theswitch 9 may be opened to stop the electrical supply to the load 8. Inthis case, however, the value integrated in the wattmeter 4 has not yetreached the preset value, i.e. the electrical quantity corresponding tothe value of inserted coins, and thus, no signal is fed to the line 6.Thus, switch means 5 remains closed. Therefore, when the remaining partof the electrical power is required, a mere closing of the switch 9 issufficient for this purpose. When the remaining part of the electricalpower has entirely been supplied, the switch means 5 is opened by thesignal from the line 6.

Furthermore, the coin-judgment means 1 delivers the coins inserted tothe coin-treatment means for melting, dissolving or burning away thecoins only when the coins are correct ones.

In the foregoing description, it has been assumed that the wattmeter 4is preset for delivery of a predetermined amount of electric power whencoins of the proper value are inserted in the coin judgment means 1. Ifit is desired to provide for delivery of different amount of power asdesired by the customer, the coin-judgment means includescoin-evaluating means and is connected to the wattmeter 4 by a line 10so as to supply a signal to preset the wattmeter for delivery of anamount of power corresponding to the value of the coins inserted. Whenthe wattmeter has supplied the selected amount of power to the load 8,it sends a signal through the line 6 to open the switch means 5.

FIG. 3 shows an embodiment wherein the present invention is utilized foran electrical-power-supplying apparatus. It is, however, readilyappreciated that the principle of this embodiment may be similarlyapplied to a gas or water-supplying apparatus. It will be apparent thatthis modification requires a replacement of the wattmeter 4 by asuitable gas or water meter and replacement of the switch means 5 of thedescribed embodiment with suitable valve means.

I claim:

1. A vending system comprising a coin-operable vending machine and coinsfor operating said machine, said coins being formed wholly of materialwhich is consumed, gasified or melted by heat, said machine comprisingjudgment means for judging a coin inserted into the machine as towhether it is a proper one for operation of the machine, delivery meansoperable in response to said judging means to deliver a commodity whensaid coin is a proper one, and coin-destruction means for receiving saidcoin from said judgment means, said destruction means comprising achamber into which said coins drop, electrical heat-generating means insaid chamber for heating coins received in said chamber to whollyconsume, gasify or melt them and means for discharging the resultingdestruction products from said chamber.

2. A vending system according to claim 1, in which said heat-generatingmeans comprises an inclined plate forming a floor of said chamber andelectrical means for heating said plate.

3. A vending machine according to claim 2, in which said dischargingmeans comprises a discharge opening from said chamber at the lower endof said inclined plate.

4. A vending system as defined in claim 1, wherein said electricalheat-generating means is designed so as to generate heat every time thatsaid coin is supplied thereonto.

5. A vending system as defined in claim 1, wherein said electricalheat-generating means is designed so as to periodically generate heat atpredetermined time intervals. h

6. A vending system comprising coin operable dispensing apparatus andcoins for operating said apparatus, said coins being formed wholly ofmaterial which is consumed, gasified or melted by heat, said apparatuscomprising judgment means for judging said coin inserted as to whetherit is a proper predetermined one, coin destruction means for receivingsaid coins from said judgment means, a preset counter settable by saidjudgment means connected to said source, and supply control meansadapted to be controlled by both of said judgment means and said presentcounter, said supply control means being maintained in a set positionwhen said coins inserted are correct ones, said preset counter resettingsaid supply-control means when the amount supplied has reached a presetvalue in said preset counter in accordance with the value of said coin,said coin-destruction means comprising a chamber into which said coinsdrop, electrical heatgenerating means in said chamber for heating coinsreceived in said chamber to wholly consume, gasify or melt them andmeans for discharging the resulting destruction products from saidchamber.

7. A vending system as defined in claim 6, wherein said preset counteris a watthour meter, said supply control means is an electrical switchand said apparatus is adapted for use as an automatic electricity supplyapparatus.

8. A vending system as defined in claim 6, in which preset counter is agas flow meter, said supply control means are in the form of a valve andsaid apparatus is adapted for use as an automatic gas supply apparatus.

9. A vending system as defined in claim 6, in which said preset counteris a water flow meter, said supply control means are in the form ofavalve and said apparatus in adapted for use as an automatic water supplyapparatus.

